Syrian American Council Salutes Court Ruling on Murdered Journalist

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Syrian American Council Salutes Court Ruling on Murdered Journalist

 

Ruling in favor of Marie Colvin’s family may inspire additional U.S. cases against the Assad regime

 

WASHINGTON D.C., February 1, 2019 The Syrian American Council applauds Thursday’s decision by the Washington, D.C. District Court to enter a judgement against the Syrian government for the extrajudicial killing of American journalist Marie Colvin. This decision, filed under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act targeting state sponsors of terrorism, will require the regime to pay over $300 million in damages. It marks the first instance in which a U.S. domestic court has held the Assad regime responsible for its war crimes.

 

“The ruling is a victory for those demanding accountability, not simply for the Assad regime’s crimes against humanity, but in so many cases, crimes against family members and loved ones,” said Suzanne Meriden, executive director of the Syrian American Council. “We hope that this judgement will inspire additional victims of Assad's crimes to speak out.”

 

Colvin was deliberately assassinated by regime troops in February 2012 while covering the Assad regime's brutal siege on the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs – a dark turning point in which the regime used artillery on populated areas for the first time.

 

The Syrian American Council salutes the Colvin family for pressing through a personal tragedy to seek justice and is grateful for the efforts of their legal team to bring the case to completion. We invite all Syrian-Americans directly victimized by the regime to reach out so that we can help them forward their cases to the appropriate parties.



Media Contact:

Michelle R. Taylor

[email protected]

312-919-2124